This is where all the latest information on events and news in the Parish will be posted. It is updated frequently as new things are announced so check back regularly.

JUNIOR CRICKET COACHING 2017

New: Shropshire’s Great Outdoors Membership Scheme

Shropshire Council has introduced a new membership scheme for Shropshire Council managed Country Parks and Heritage Sites. For more information please click on the link below which takes you to the Shropshire Council press release:

There are further links from the press release to the relevant pages of the Shropshire Great Outdoors website.

These Boots Were made For walking.....

Volunteers from Condover Parish Paths Partnership Group have produced a fantastic little book of circular walks in Condover Parish. Many of the routes are 'adjustable' - so you can go for a quick stroll or a longer walk depending on how you feel! The walks are marked out on maps with written directions and snippets of local interest.

All yours for just £1 from the Beeches surgery in Dorrington, the shop in Dorrington, Parish Office at Dorrington Village Hall and the Post Office in Condover - or download routes for free from the Condover Parish Paths website: www.2shrop.net/cp3

Summary of the Annual Parish Meeting

The above meeting was held on 19th April at Stapleton Village Hall.

Presentations were given by:

SmartWater – Gary Higgins, summarised the Company’s aims and work in conjunction with small rural parish and town councils. Those present expressed an interest in taking up the scheme within the Parish. The Chairman agreed that the Parish Council would look into the matter further.

Connecting Shropshire - Ben Wallker & Ian Baines BT- Gave an update on improvements to broadband within the parish; particularly in the Stapleton and Ryton wards. Due to the detail of the information provided it was agreed that the presentation would be uploaded to the website and it can be found here: Connecting Shropshire Presentation for APMThe Parish Council’s Annual Report for 2015-16 was given by the Chairman David Lane and can be found here.

In his report David thanked the outgoing Clerk Sue Hackett for all her work over the last 10 years and the contributions made by Lauren Hackett. Sue was presented with a memento and flowers. He went on to introduce the Council’s new Clerk Brighid Carey; whom the Council looked forward to working with

The Parish Council’s Community Recognition SchemeWinston Roberts, Penny Haynes, Ruth Lawrence and Russell Collard were recognised for her contributions over the years to their villages and Parish and were presented with awards by members of the Parish Council. For more information on the Community recognition scheme and the winners, go here.

Brook Close Committee Meeting

Brook Close Community Led Affordable Housing Scheme – Helen Pugh summarised the aims of the development which was an initiative with Severnside Housing, SC and CPC. She urged those interested in the scheme to visit the CPC website and find out more as it was providing affordable rental properties for local people.

For full details of the meeting please go to the APM section of this website.

Parish Newsletter

The Christmas edition of our Parish Newsletter has been compiled and is available for viewing by using the link below:

Please note that as well as the newsletter, the Parish Council also send out brief updates & relevent news in the form of 'e-newsletters' to residents in the parish signed up to the subscription list. These are vital to the circulation of important local news as, in future, the full, 8 page Parish Newsletter will be released with reduced quanities and will not be delivered to every household. This is due to cost restraints as well as restraints on the time of the wonderful local volunteers who have delivered the Newsletters over the past 10 years. Please also spread the word and let your friends and neighbours know about the 'e-newsletters' so that everyone in our Parish can stay informed.

Please note that you can also access past copies of the quarterly Parish Newsletter by following this link which opens in a new window.

Also available online for anyone in the Parish, although it will be more appealing to residents of Ryton, is the August/September 2015 Edition of the Ryton Village Newsletter:

Allotments Available in Cross Houses

A number of Allotment spaces have been made available in the Cross Houses area. Not having been filled by residents in Berrington Parish, they have been made available to residents in neighbouring parishes, Condover Parish included.

This is a great opportunity for poeple to grow their own flowers, fruit or veg if you don't have the space to grow in your backyard as Condover Parish does not have an allotment scheme. The spaces are located in the grounds of the former workhouse and hospital in Cross Houses, now the Chestnuts estate, (postcode SY5 6JH) and were originally the vegetable garden for the former workhouse and dates back to the 1870s.There is a water supply and adjacent parking in the Shropshire Homes car park which can be used in the evenings and on weekends. In working hours there is on-street parking close by. Rents for the allotment start at £25 per year.

If you would be interested in renting an allotment please get in touch with Cameron Moffet, Secretary to the Cross Houses Allotment-holders Group, by email: cameron.moffett@btinternet.com or Tel: 01743 761443.

Sainsbury's Sport Relief Games 2016

The Dorrington Mile

Sunday 20 March 2016 heralded the start of the Dorrington Mile that took place at Dorrington Village Hall on Sunday 20 March 2016, one part of the many Sport Relief events taking place around the country.

Preparation began early with marking the course and briefing the marshals. Dorrington Young Farmers Club, led by Phil Oliver, provided the bulk of the marshal party and did a fantastic job in looking after the runners and signposting the route. Route management was the responsibility of Dave Harding and Tony Lock who did a wonderful job making sure everyone was in the right place and got home safely. We were also assisted by members of the JCA staff who kindly volunteered to help us out despite having a busy weekend of duties. Then it was the turn of the registration and admin team led by Angie Parkinson and Sue Hackett who sorted out the paperwork prior to the arrival of the runners and the booking in process. Dorrington WI, under Bridget Thurgood, took charge of the village hall kitchen and began laying out the teas and delicious cakes. Finally the cadets from the Church Stretton detachment arrived under the leadership of Nerys Meyer to organise the start and finish arrangements and to look after the runners as they arrived. We were supported throughout by many individuals including Kim Hackett who took charge of car parking and the Dorrington School team of the Head Teacher Mandy Hopkins plus Penny Hill and Sarah Huxley who looked after the initial part of the course. We also enjoyed wonderful music from Niamh and Emily of Church Stretton School who came along to entertain us with their beautiful songs. Steph Morgan from ESSE Fitness, our fitness guru, organised the warm up prior to the start and we were extremely grateful to welcome our local Councillor, Councillor Tim Barker to start the run.

Planning for the Dorrington Mile began in January with the first notices and an appeal for volunteers. We were so fortunate to enjoy fantastic support from so many members of the village and Condover Parish who signed up to look after the runners and to take part in the fun. Despite some early misgivings from the organisers, there was also great support from runners and all those wanting to do their bit for Sport Relief. Around 60 runners eventually took part and completed the 1, 3 and 6 mile courses; the weather was ideal and in the cold and dry conditions everyone raced round in quick times. After the run everyone enjoyed the refreshments and the brilliant facilities at the village hall. We all agreed that the Dorrington Mile was a huge success and an excellent community event. There were lots of families, lots of friends and Dorrington came together to support this important occasion. So a huge thanks to everyone for making this such a special day and supporting a vital, national and international cause.

Report by Cllr Edward Marvin

Calling for Defibrillator Volunteers in Condover

Condover Parish Council is committed to having a defibrillator in all four wards in the Parish. Dorrington, Ryton and Stapleton now have the people and equipment in place and as the most populated village we would now like to ask everyone's in Condover for help, to put yourselves forward as a volunteer to use the defibrillator.

What's needed? We need volunteers to go on a list to be called upon to take the equipment to a resident in the village that needs assistance. Full training will be given and no medical experience is needed as the defibrillator prompts the user through each stage so we can give the patient immediate help.

I'm sure many of us have experienced a family member or friend that could have benefited from immediate action in a time of an emergency and to have this available could literally be...

A LIFE SAVER

For more information about getting involved or call Claire Tolley for an informal chat without committing yourself, on 01743 873608.

Shropshire’s Great Outdoors Website is Launched

Enjoy getting out and about in Shropshire’s Great Outdoors? Need to know more about where to go and what to do? Looking for a great family day out? A new website has been launched by the Shropshire Outdoor Partnership team at Shropshire Council making the answer to these questions just a click away.

Appeal Decision relating to planning application for 47 houses east of Station Rd Condover.

The Inspector's Summary:

"The proposed development would provide additional market housing and a relatively small number of affordable dwellings which would help boost the housing supply in Shropshire. It would also provide some community benefits, including additional school and recreational facilities. However, I have found that it is contrary to adopted development plan policies and would fail to represent sustainable development in accordance with the Framework. Given this and my findings that the Council has demonstrated a 5 year supply of deliverable housing land, the proposed development would be contrary to the Plan-led system, and residential development at that scale outside the settlement boundary is not justified in the current circumstances. Therefore, having regard to all matters raised, I conclude that the appeal should fail."

The Parish Council is overjoyed with this decision which supports their SAMDev submissions to Shropshire Council.

The Parish Council would like to thank those of you who have nominated individuals, organisations or businesses for contributing significantly to the quality of life of those living in the parish by their voluntary and neighbourly actions.

The Parish Council has received some 15 or so nominations but has decided to limit the award to 4 individuals this year. Their names were announced at the Annual Parish Meeting which was held on Tuesday 19th April 2016 at Stapleton Village Hall.

These special people (with the exception of Ruth Lawrence) are pictured with the Chairman David Lane and outgoing Clerk Sue Hackett.

In Order of appearance:

David Lane - chairman of Condover Parish Council presenting Awards.

Penny Haynes was recognised for her contributions over a number of years keeping Condover bus shelter in good order on a completely voluntary basis, not to mention updating the adjacent notice board which is relied upon by many.

Winston Roberts was recognised for his work as voluntary caretaker of Stapleton Village Hall for many years, keeping it in good order and repair.

Russell Collard was recognised for generously giving of his valuable time together with his Team improving our Rights of Way within the parish in terms of physical access, by installing kissing gates, dog gates, plank bridges etc. He has also produced maps and details of circular walks within the parish; enabling local people and visitors to enjoy the place they live in.

Sue Hackett - Clerk to Condover Parish Council also presenting awards.Ruth Lawrence (not present at awards giving) was recognised for her contributions over the years to the Dorrington Village Hall Committee and in more recent times running the Dorrington Brownies.

Condover Charities 1995-2015

Back in 2006 when I started as Clerk I received a bank statement addressed to the “Trustees of Condover Charities”; after some foraging amongst paperwork I had inherited from the former Clerk, which incidentally not only occupied a room designated as my home office but also the hall of our home too.On discovering a red ledger I began to find out more about Condover Charities it was formed in 1895 and comprised of a number of local based charities:

The first trustees of the account appointed by the newly formed Condover Parish Council of 1895 (which incidentally included Bayston Hill, Annscroft and Lyth Hill) were:

Col. H Hope Edwardes, The Sytch, Dorrington

Mr J Higginson, Lyth Hill

Mr H Brisbourne, Great Ryton

Over the years, entries were painstakingly kept of receipts and disbursements; which were typically the purchase of loaves for distribution to the needy.

For instance in 1897, 288 loaves were distributed to the poor in Condover, Ryton, Dorrington, Bayston Hill, Lyth Hill and Annscroft at a total cost of £6 0s 0d.

In June 2015 the Parish Council chose to close the charity as it had been unable to fulfil the charity’s role and total funds of £1,364.18 were transferred to the Shrewsbury Ark; which provides valuable assistance to the homeless and vulnerable. The Charities Commission were notified of the Charities closure.Should anyone wish to examine the ledger, it is now stored at Shropshire Archives.

Shropshire Health and Wellbeing - Shropshire Together

To find out more about activities going on, news and updates about Health and Wellbeing in our county you can find out more information about the work they do and events held, you can visit their website.

P3 Gate & Stile Sponsorship Scheme

Church Stretton Parish Paths Partnership, in conjunction with Shropshire Council, are piloting a sponsorship scheme where old path stiles and gates can be replaced with new oak gates to enable walkers to gain easier access to the Countryside.

Under this scheme a message or name can be carved on to the gate serving as a memorial for many years to come. There is also the unique opportunity for businesses to advertise on these gates, whilst also helping their local community by helping connect them through the Rights of Way paths these gates and stiles fall upon which many enjoy walking along.

If you are interested in sponsoring a gate in your local community, either as a business or as a memorial, please contact David Hardwick for more information on 01743 791984 or email: david.hardwick@shropshire.gov.uk

The Parish Paths Partnerships (P3) are groups of community volunteers who work throughout Shropshire, in their local parishes, to identify local priorities for countryside access and to help maintain their local Rights of Way network.

If you enjoy being outdoors and are interested in volunteering with a P3 group or becoming a walk leader, you can visit the P3 Group page of this website to find out more about the P3 group for the Condover Parish and getting involved in their work.

Connecting Shropshire: Update

Some 500 premises in Condover parish can now upgrade to fibre broadband from their chosen internet service provider. We cannot guarantee that everybody is able to order a fibre broadband package, you'll need to contact your chosen internet service provider to check availability. You might like to take this opportunity to shop around to see if you can get a better deal elsewhere on a comparison website, for example: Connecting shropshire

Most of the other premises in the parish are connected to either cabinet 1 or cabinet 3 in the Dorrington exchange, both of which will be upgraded to a fibre to the premises solution, which can deliver download/upload speeds of up to 300/30mbps.

Cabinet 1 in Stapleton serves about 70 premises in the parish and work to provide fibre broadband to this area is expected to be completed at the end of 2016.

Cabinet 3 - Following an update from BT Openreach about the FTTP build in the Ryton and Condover Park area (served by the Dorrington #3 Cabinet). The Parish Council have been informed that in order to connect up the areas of Ryton and Condover Park, a road closure and diversion via the A49 will have to be put in place. This has been scheduled in for mid-February 2016, so the current forecast for the completion for the area to get fibre broadband potential is for late April 2016.

A local update was provided at the Annual Parish Meeting which was held on Tuesday 19th April 2016 at Stapleton Village Hall.For those of us at Condover Park, Ryton and Stapleton who are eagerly awaiting “fibre optics” to the house (ftp) and improved broadband speeds, this provided an excellent update. The presentation given by Ben Walker at this event is available to you to view here:

REMEMBER: To connect to fibre broadband, people need to contact their chosen internet service provider to upgrade their broadband package, the broadband speeds won't increase automatically.

IMPORTANT - new number for Shrop doc

There is a new number for the out of hours "Shrop Doc" service that is provided to all residents in Shropshire. The new telephone number is now live:

0333 222 66 55

Call charges to 0333 numbers from any landline is dependent on the originators calling tariffs, but are generally charged at the same rate as a local call. (From BT landlines call costs will be 1ppm) .Calls from mobiles to 0333 numbers are generally included in originators call minutes package

Shropshire's FUTURE FIT plan

To find more information about this and other healthcare news in our area you can also look on the NHS Future Fit website here: http://nhsfuturefit.org/

Condover Parish Council e-newsletter

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